Greg Hillers Aqua Delight Acropora

Greg Hiller’s Aqua Delight Acropora is a classic SPS coral with intense blue and teal tones. It rewards stable systems with fast growth and sharp, colorful tips. With the right care, this coral becomes a standout centerpiece in any mature reef.

Greg Hiller’s Aqua Delight Basics and Placement

This Acropora prefers strong, stable conditions. Place it only in a mature tank, at least 9–12 months old. Young systems swing too much and often cause tissue loss. Aim for a tank volume of 40 gallons or larger for better stability.

Provide medium to high PAR. Target 250–350 PAR at the coral’s final spot. Use a PAR meter if possible. Under LEDs, place it in the upper third of the rockwork. Under T5 or hybrid lighting, mid to upper levels usually work well.

Flow should be strong and random. Avoid a direct, blasting jet. You want polyps to sway, not fold over. Use two or more powerheads on alternating patterns. This helps keep detritus off the branches and reduces algae growth on the base.

Target PAR: 250–350 at the colony
Strong, random flow with no direct blasting
Place in upper third under LEDs, mid to upper under T5/hybrids

Watch for early stress signs. Faded tips or receding base tissue often mean light or flow is off. Adjust slowly over several days. Avoid big changes in a single day.

Water Parameters, Feeding, and Troubleshooting

Aqua Delight needs very stable parameters. Keep alkalinity between 8.0–9.0 dKH. Avoid daily swings over 0.3 dKH. Calcium should sit around 420–450 ppm. Maintain magnesium at 1300–1400 ppm. Salinity should be 1.025–1.026 specific gravity, checked with a calibrated refractometer.

Keep nutrients low but not zero. Aim for nitrate at 5–15 ppm and phosphate at 0.03–0.08 ppm. Ultra-low nutrients often cause pale colors and tip burn. Use a reliable test kit weekly. Adjust feeding or filtration before making big hardware changes.

Perform 10–15% water changes every 1–2 weeks
Use an auto top-off to prevent salinity swings
Test alkalinity 2–3 times per week in SPS-heavy tanks

Feeding is simple but helpful. This coral mainly relies on light, but benefits from extra nutrition. Dose amino acids 2–3 times per week at the low end of the bottle’s recommendation. Target feed fine particle foods once a week with pumps off for 15–20 minutes.

Introduce the frag low and shaded, then ramp light over 2–3 weeks
Frag with a clean bone cutter and dip in an iodine-based coral dip
Quarantine new frags 2–4 weeks to watch for Acropora-eating pests

Common problems include tip burn, base recession, and browned-out tissue. Tip burn usually means alk is high or rising too fast. Base recession often points to low flow or pests. Browned tissue typically means low light or high nutrients. Fix one factor at a time and give the coral at least a week to respond.

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